How do you measure a year?

Today marks the one year anniversary of this blog! Time has flown by so fast. I feel like I just started posting in here yesterday, but that would mean I spent a lot of time online in the span of a day, considering how many posts have been created since then (215, not including this one).

During my year of blogging, I've discovered that I can knit, but I'm just incredibly lazy about it. I also tried documenting my FlyLady attempts at organizing my home, but that also slipped through the cracks. There was the blog project, which was fun, but not something I'm able to revisit anytime soon due to lack of time and motivation on my end. I also did Time Warp Tuesday for a while and then lost interest or ran out of ideas and had fun with Friendship Friday, but fell off the motivation train there too. I attempted a series about 90's music, but it only lasted a few posts. Finally, there was Fiction Friday. I'm hoping to revisit that in the upcoming year. I don't know if I'll expand my Lou and Cat story any further or if I'll just try new ideas each time a theme "speaks" to me. I wasn't too big on most of the themes, so I would just not write during those weeks. I do want to stretch my writing skills a bit and work on some more fiction. Reading what feels like a zillion books this year has inspired me to write more. I don't know that I want to share anything from my more elaborate story ideas on my blog though. I may just use it as a jumping off point.

I have been focusing most of my time and attention on my Chick Lit Central blog and plan to do so in the coming year. I've found this blog to be a source of fulfillment and I love that authors, publishers and other readers value my opinions about books. I didn't know when I started this blog in May, that it would become such a huge focus in my life. I love it though. I do want to find ways to get sponsorship or do something to financially support when I have to send books out for giveaways myself. (Most authors and publishers do it, but sometimes I get saddled with the task.) I signed up with Google AdSense, as it is passive, but I don't know how much that is generating. In any case, the amount of books I didn't have to buy this year has made up for the cost big time! And so many of those books have been amazing. I've also had the best time e-mailing with authors and getting to know them better. They're very much down-to-earth and easy to talk to. (At least most are...some have let fame get to their heads and I have no access to them at all.)

On the homefront...things are going well. My husband's job is wonderful, which is such a 360 from his previous job. I am always telling him how his new boss should tell his old boss that he's crazy for treating my husband the way he did. His new boss loves him. I tease him that he's the golden child there who can do no wrong. No kaynehores though! Work is going fine for me too, although a little slow at this time of year. I'm hoping things will pick up speed when more people are around. I was assigned to work with another manager (in addition to the ones I currently work with) and she's been great. She tells me what she wants and I get it done for her and we're both happy. Isn't that how it should always be? :) I like the people I've been working for over the past year, as well. It's a great environment and I love being here, but I sometimes wish there was more to do during the slow times of the year (like winter holidays that our office doesn't celebrate). The boys are doing well and constantly making me laugh and smile. I went to a parenting seminar about how to raise kids without yelling. I definitely needed that, as I tend to resort to yelling to make my voice heard. I've been working on handling things in a calm, but firm manner and it seems to be going well. I haven't had to raise my voice in a week and a half. I've been provoked, but I've taken the time to think about how I can get the same response by not yelling and just being clear and firm about what needs to be done. I just hope the kids don't go stir crazy this week with being off school and home most of the day. On the pregnancy front, everything seems to be fine. My OB visits have been uneventful, other than long and annoying waits when they get overbooked. I'm still not sure what the gender will be and am having a lot of boy dreams lately, which tells me that we should really get cracking on choosing a boy name. The baby has been moving and kicking a lot, which is such a beautiful and life affirming feel.

I still love our neighborhood and our shul. I enjoy hanging out with our friends and meeting new friends, as well. It's so nice to be in an environment where I am happy and comfortable.

As for the entertainment world...I'm still watching "Glee," "Desperate Housewives," and "The Office." I started watching "Modern Family" this year and I love it. Such a funny show! I can totally see a lot of myself in Claire (or a lot of her in me). It's almost scary though. I love Cam, he's my new favorite fictional gay guy. "Glee" has been okay so far, but not as powerful as last year. Some of it tends to annoy me. "Desperate Housewives" has been pretty interesting and I've been watching it with some friends each week, which makes it more fun. "The Office" has been hilarious and I'll be sad when Steve Carell leaves the show. I've seen a lot of movies this year, as well. Only three in the theater, and two were also with the kids (I loved both movies though). I don't know if I have any major contenders for favorite movie of the year. I definitely loved "Toy Story 3" and "Tangled" and enjoyed a few of the comedies I saw. "The Blind Side" and "Up in the Air" deserved their Oscar nominations. However, I was disappointed with the movie version of "Eat Pray Love." I did like the movie version of "The Last Song" though and sobbed through the last half. As for music, I still love Adam Lambert. I haven't been too impressed with most of the music on the radio this year and end up listening to country, classic rock or CDs. I haven't seen any live theater in a while and miss doing that. I'm hoping something good will come to the area next year that I can go out and enjoy.

Not too much else is new. I'm hoping to take it easy in the next month or so until the baby arrives, b'shaah tovah. I know things will be whirlwind after that. We also have an upsherin to plan for around Purim time. Definitely something to look forward to, even though I'll miss my younger son's hair (which he claims feels like "noodles"). I look forward to some upcoming visits from family and hopefully from friends, as well.

Finally, I look forward to seeing what will develop with this blog in the next year, as I have had a lot of fun writing in it and even re-reading stuff I wrote in the past. Stay tuned....